Comedian Seth Rogen was 23 when his colleague and close friend Will Reiser, 25, revealed he had cancer. Of course, the news came as a shock to both of them, but not enough to make them take life too seriously. Reiser was diagnosed with a rare type of malignant tumor on the spinal cord. When Googled his chances of recovery, it was found that there were 50%. That is, the probability of surviving the most dreaded disease was the same as the probability of dying from it.
No one expected to hear such news, especially at the age of 25 and at the height of his career as a Hollywood film producer and screenwriter. But Reiser, always working with a sense of humor, decided to fight his illness in the same way. And it was because of this harrowing but cathartic experience that he wrote the script for “50%”, a comedy-drama with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anjelica Houston, Bryce Howard Dallas and Anna Kendrick.
Directed by Jonathan Levin, the feature film written by Reiser, inspired by his own life, is a balm for the heart. Especially for those days when we are sad, because it teaches us to face problems with a smile, even when we feel pessimistic. Crying can purify the soul, but it is a smile that caresses and heals it.
In “50%”, Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a radio program producer who discovers a bulge on his back and when he goes to the doctor, he receives the grim news that he has a rare cancer. His best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), reacts to this information with surprise, but not enough to stop joking about his friend’s cancer. Soon he organizes a party at the firm to celebrate Adam’s life, where he has the opportunity to flirt with some of the girls and hug Adam goodbye without actually dying.
The whole scene is hilarious and Reiser’s text manages to draw a smile without much effort. It’s not that Adam and Kyle don’t suffer from the condition, but seeing it as just a weird adversity is their way of hiding it so it doesn’t seem so bad.
But the gravity of the situation brings out the best and worst in the people around Adam. It is in this context that he loses his girlfriend, Rachel (Howard), meets psychologist Katherine (Kendrick), with whom he forms a strong bond, and begins to better understand his mother, Diane (Houston). Which has always been great. worried about him.
With Kyle, Adam uses cancer to learn some good life lessons, but also to have fun, do things he’s never done, win girls over, and enjoy the moment Takes it as if it were the last. In the middle of his journey, the protagonist goes through difficult moments, he feels hopeless, he talks to Catherine about the weight of his illness and the fear of uncertainty, whether he will be able to wake up again after surgery . Despite the drama, the plot manages to take the audience through all of Adam’s suffering, anguish and pain with subtlety and respect.
In real life, Reiser revealed that he’s usually more funny than Adam, but he had to make his character a bit more serious in order to balance the role with Rogen, who already has many comedic moments. At the time of his cancer, circa 2005, Reiser had finished his work on “Da Ali G Show” and it was Rogen who helped him cope with the disease, as shown in the film. “50%” is a sensitive work, especially because it was written by someone who’s been through a lot.
film: 50%
Direction: Jonathan Levin
Year: 2011
gender: comedy drama
Comment: 9/10
